All is well in cloudy Chengdu, my guests having thus far braved Chinese domestic flights, temporary driving license applications, and weapons-grade hotpot. Tomorrow the actual hijinks begin… Unlike my adventures in China so far this year, it seems that this particular adventure may involve being without internet connection for the next ten days or so. [Mock faints.]

For now, I’ll leave you with a list of interesting things I’ve seen today, a photo of Chengdu’s Chairman Mao (above) and his view over Tianfu Square and western China’s highest concentration of luxury stores (below).

Sight of Interest, 1:
A gentleman calmly cycling through the lobby of Chengdu Technology University Hospital – odd, but a logical reaction to the vast expanses of marble that have infested Chengdu’s many gigantic buildings. Why wear your shoes out when you can glide down corridors on a bike?

Sight of Interest, 2:
A lady carrying a brown rabbit through a shopping centre

Sight of Interest, 3:
A Foxconn factory, where some of your iPhone might have been made; rank upon rank of anonymous factory buildings, numbered in turn, 0010, 0011, 0012… A guest told me that a pilot friend of his flew multiple trips between Chengdu and Hong Kong in a 747 loaded with iPhones before the launch of the latest version.

Sight of Interest, 4:
My guests wearing thick jackets already – it’s 10C here today, but -15C where we’re going. Clearly regular infusions of hotpot will be necessary – wish us luck!

See you in Lhasa!

xx